Recent News

Eoin Campbell has scored 4/11 on board 7 in the North Atlantic Team Tournament (NATT) VII and thus qualifies for a CCE norm. The Correspondence Chess Expert (CCE)
title is a relatively recent introduction to the ICCF list and let's hope it isn't too long before Eoin completes full qualification. Meantime, many
congratulations to the Edinburgh man!

Russell Sherwood (WLS), ICCF Non-Title Tournaments Commissioner, writes to announce this tournament which will be played in three stages:
preliminaries, semi-final and final. It's a webserver event, where preliminary section winners will receive vouchers
worth 20€, semi-final winners will receive vouchers worth 50€, and the final has a 2000€ prize fund.
Registration closes on 31st December and preliminary sections begin on 31st January 2017. Semi-finals
will start no later than January 2019, and finals no later than January 2021. Entry via SCCA costs £4.50 (note that
players new to ICCF are entitled to one free section). For further details, please contact
George Pyrich before 15th December.

A bit of a glut of friendly internationals at year-end. This time, team captains George Pyrich and Gianni Mastrojeni have finalised their teams and
play begins soon in a 24-board friendly match against Italy. We've played the Italians three times in the last 20 years, most recently getting creamed
8½-31½ in a webserver encounter which ran 2012-13. We lost 10-26 in a postal match which lasted 1999-2002 and fared no better in an email fixture which ran
1997-2000, going down 6-13. The new match takes place entirely on the webserver. The official start date is 5th December, though the early birds are in
action already. As usual, best wishes to both teams for enjoyable chess and new friendships!

David Cumming has won the SCCA Championship for the third time, finishing with 7½/10. Three games remain outstanding, but David is out
of sight now. This is David's second outright victory (the first being 2013-14), with one shared win in 2009-10. Alastair Dawson currently sits in
second place with 6/10, but could still be caught by defending champion Iain Mackintosh. So, many congratulations to the man from Inverness!

Team captains George Pyrich and Yosua Sitorus have finalised their teams and play has begun in a 8-board friendly match against Indonesia. We've
never played Indonesia and this match has been arranged to gauge their strength as possible new members of ICCF. The match takes place entirely on the webserver.
The official start date is 1st December, though most boards are now in play. Best wishes to both teams for competitive chess and new friendships!

Congratulations to our team who scored a narrow win in this strong event! We finished equal 1st with Trophy Hunters after their final game was
adjudicated as a draw. Both teams scored 11 points and 6 wins, so the final position was decided on board count. Our team was: 1.Richard Beecham;
2.Tom Matheis; 3.Iain Mackintosh; 4.David Cumming; 5.Alan Bell; 6.Gordon Anderson; 7.David Kilgour; 8.Alan Borwell. The 2016-17 event starts on
December 1st.

Alistair Maxwell advises that George's substantial collection of correspondence chess magaines, including BPCF, SSKK, Fernschach and Chess Mail, is
now looking for a new home. If you are interested in some or all of these, please contact
Alistair Maxwell directly.

Team captains George Pyrich and Joe Deidun Jr. have finalised their teams and play has begun in a 26-board friendly match against Canada. We've
played the Canadians twice in the last 20 years, getting trounced 13½-32½ in a mixed postal/email encounter which ran 2003-06, and losing a tighter,
postal-only affair 21-25 back in the 1990s. The new match takes place entirely on the webserver. The official start date is 1st November, though we
expect most boards to start play in the second half of October. Best wishes to both teams for enjoyable chess and new friendships!

Membership forms for 2017 are now available for download from the website on the membership page. The
forms are in Word format and can be returned by post or email. Please use them whether you're renewing or joining as a new member, and
remember to complete the tournament form to say which events you'd like to play in during 2017. For further information, please contact
Kevin Paine by email, or use his home contact
details provided on the web page.

The third e-mag of the 2016 set is being distributed by email today. Printed copies are in the post tonight. As usual, members will be
asked to download their e-mags from the secure Members' page on the website, while complimentary e-mags will be attached to the email.
Download times will be the same last quarter. If you have any problems with this edition, please drop me an email at:
webmaster@scottishcca.co.uk
and I'll do what I can to help. Enjoy the read!

Russell Sherwood of Wales, the new ICCF Non Title Tournament Commissioner, writes to announce that the old Champions League format has
been reinstated at the recent Bremen Congress. Any outstanding games in the current cycle will go to adjudication on 31st December, then
Cycle 7 of the CL will start in the new/old format from March/April 2017. For further information, please contact
George Pyrich.

During the ICCF Congress in Cardiff last year, representatives of the English Federation for Correspondence Chess (EFCC), the Welsh
Correspondence Chess Federation (WCCF) and the Scottish Correspondence Chess Association (SCCA) met to discuss the running of the British
Correspondence Chess Championship. The discussion arose due to the change of name from the British Federation for Correspondence Chess
to the English Federation for Correspondence Chess and the perceived need to organise a truly British Championship.

The three bodies agreed that a BCCC should be organised by a committee with representation from each of the Federations/Association.
It was also agreed that the SCCA could nominate up to 3 participants who met the entry criteria, part of which is holding a minimum ICCF
grading 2300. Those players rated less than 2300 may wish to enter the Candidates and Reserves Sections.

The next tournament is a 15 player all-play-all event and
is due to commence in September 2016. Anyone interested in entering should contact either
George Pyrich or
Gordon Anderson for further information. Entries
should be sent to George Pyrich and the entry fee of £10 to Gordon Anderson, both no later than 15th August 2016.

The second e-mag of the 2016 set is being distributed by email today. Printed copies are in the post tonight. As usual, members will be
asked to download their e-mags from the secure Members' page on the website, while complimentary e-mags will be attached to the email.
Download times will be the same last quarter. If you have any problems with this edition, please drop me an email at:
webmaster@scottishcca.co.uk
and I'll do what I can to help. Enjoy the read!

Gian-Maria Tani, ICCF Title Tournaments Commissioner, writes to announce the candidates stage of the 36th World Championship which will start on 20th
September. The following players are eligible for the 36th candidates:

the participants of one of the previous or running finals who scored at least 50% of the possible points.

the participants in one of the previous or running candidates stage who finished in 2nd place (in the exceptional event of only one qualifying place for
the final being available), 3rd or 4th place, or scored at least 60% of the possible points but did not qualify for the final.

the first and second placed players in every semi-final group.

the first and second placed players in a final of the ICCF World Cup tournament.

the first and second placed players from the acknowledged Zonal Championships of Category IX or higher.

all previous World Correspondence Chess champions.

the holders of the Grandmaster Title with at least 5 Grandmaster norms

those players who have a fixed rating of 2600 and above, as at July 1, 2016, or from the current FIDE list.

Candidates sections normally have 13 players with the possibility for the TTC to extend them to 15 or 17 players (or reduce to 11 players)
if appropriate in special situations. Normally, only four Candidates sections are started each year with 1st & 2nd qualifying for a final.

Registration completes on 5th August, so please email George Pyrich
before 29th July, for further details and to register your interest.

Sad news to report. George Livie, founder member of SCCA and long-time committee member has died peacefully in Glasgow on June 1st. The
funeral service will take place at Merrylee Parish Church, Merrylee Road, on Tuesday, 7th June at 10am, thereafter to Mearns Cemetery, G77 5RU,
arriving at 11am. George will be much missed in the world of Scottish Chess and we extend our sympathy to Margaret and the whole Livie family.

This will be held at 7 Tullylumb Terrace, Perth PH1 1BA at 4:00pm on Sunday, 12th June. Skype facilities can be made available for
those unable to attend in person (please contact the president).
The agenda is:

ICCF Title Tournament Commissioner, Gian-Maria Tani, writes to announce that this stage will commence play on September 1st, 2016 and that
entries must be received by July 1st. The event will be held on the ICCF webserver and will be for teams of 6 players. Normal ICCF Rules
will be applicable. GM title norms should be available on the top boards whilst SIM and IM norms should be available on all the others. For title
norm purposes, rating numbers will be taken from the ICCF Rating List 2016/3. For further information, please contact
George Pyrich by 10th June.

The first e-mag of the 2016 set is being distributed by email today. Printed copies are in the post tonight. As usual, members will be
asked to download their e-mags from the secure Members' page on the website, while complimentary e-mags will be attached to the email.
Download times will be the same last quarter. If you have any problems with this edition, please drop me an email at:
webmaster@scottishcca.co.uk
and I'll do what I can to help. Enjoy the read!

Valentín Costa Trillo writes to announce the XV Jubilee Open Tournament of AEAC (Spanish CC Association). This event will be played on the webserver
over three stages, Preliminary, Semi-Final and Final. Time controls are 10/40 for the first two stages and 10/50 for the Final. Players may enter more
than one Preliminary group, and those rated 2300+ may register directly for the Semi-Final. Registration starts on March 18th and closes on June 15th,
with play expected to commence on July 30th, 2016. Preliminary groups will complete no later than March 30th, 2018. Entry fee is €5/group, but the first
10 players from each Federation get free entry. The prize fund for the Final is €1000. For further information, and to enter, please contact
George Pyrich.

Iain Mackintosh has won the SCCA Championship for the seventh time after just squeezing out George Pyrich in the last remaining game. Iain finished
on 8½/10, half a point ahead of David Cumming who had led the event for several months. This was Iain's fourth outright victory, with three shared
wins, the first in 1997-98. So, many congratulations to the man from Perth and commiserations to David, who set a hot pace in the event.

Divisions 2 and 3 of the Webserver League were started today, which means all the main domestic events of 2016 are now in session. The
Championship cycle can be found at Championship, Premier, and Open,
and the Webserver Leagues are at Leagues. Thanks to Jim Anderson for pulling it all together! For further information and
queries, please email Jim Anderson.

The fourth and final e-mag of the 2015 set is being distributed by email today. Printed copies are in the post tonight. As usual, members will be
asked to download their e-mags from the secure Members' page on the website, while complimentary e-mags will be attached to the email.
Download times will be the same last quarter. If you have any problems with this edition, please drop me an email at:
webmaster@scottishcca.co.uk
and I'll do what I can to help. Enjoy the read!

Team captains George Pyrich and Dennis Doren have finalised their teams and play has begun in a 25-board friendly match against USA. We've
played the States just once in the last 20 years, losing narrowly by 20-22 in a mixed webserver/postal encounter which ran 2008-12. The new match takes
place entirely on the webserver. The official start date is 14th January, though play is well under way already. Best wishes to both teams for
competitive chess plus new friendships!

Leonardo Madonia, ICCF Central Tournament Leader, writes to announce the 5th Chess 960 World Cup. The event will be played by server and will be
organised in three or four stages, depending from the number of the entries. The sections of the preliminary round will have 6 players (10 games)
with 2 qualified for the next round. All sections will be with double round robin (players will have the same position with Black and White but
all positions will defer from one opponent to another). Time control will be 10 moves for 30 days. The event will be rated for Chess 960 rating
system. Registration closes on 28th February and play will start on 15th March. Entry through the SCCA qualifies for a rate of £8.50.
For further information, please contact George Pyrich.

As 2015 ends, I would like to extend my warmest wishes to you and all those dear to you for a very healthy, happy, and successful New Year. I also
wish to extend my sincere thanks to all officials and delegates for their devoted work on behalf of ICCF during the last year.

The 2015 ICCF Congress in Cardiff approved a number of major decisions which will be implemented in 2016 and have been included in the major release
of the server in December, for example, the complete rewriting of the tournament director's manual, the introduction of new Correspondence Chess Master
and Expert titles, the online proposal and voting process, etc.

It is too early to present the complete figures, but it is likely that 2015 will be another record year for ICCF tournament entries and I thank all
volunteers who are given their time for the benefit of the development of correspondence chess and of course the players who are enjoying playing in ICCF
tournaments. In 2015, we have also renewed our collaboration with major sponsors and many of them are highly valuing the theoretical values of the games
played by correspondence. This proves once again the importance of correspondence chess in the development of new ideas in chess openings!

The further modernisation of the rules and taking advantage of the advanced technology of the server will help us to increase services to the players.
The work and the role of the tournament directors have been completely reviewed and the Congress has approved a major revision of the tournament director
manuals - this effort will be completed next year by the introduction of the tournament organiser manual.

The three working groups implemented in Cardiff -(a) time controls and more generally about time management philosophy in CC tournaments; (b) finance;
and (c) the modernisation of the ICCF rating and titles – have started their work and will present their conclusions and proposals during next year’s
Congress.

I look forward to meeting you in Bremen in August for the 2016 ICCF Congress.

In closing, let me once again extend to you my best wishes for the New Year. I hope that 2016 will bring satisfaction in all your endeavours, personal,
professional, and chess!